Volleyball Voices

Virginia Cavaliers Volleyball Team Drops Hard-Fought Five-Set Match to Hokies

Virginia Cavaliers Volleyball Team Drops Hard-Fought Five-Set Match to Hokies
Asque ties second-best individual match performance with seven aces
 
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – In front of a season-high 697 fans in Memorial Gymnasium Friday night, the Virginia volleyball team dropped a heartbreaking five-set match to in-state rival Virginia Tech. The contest marked the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams, while it was also the opening match of the second-annual Marriott Cavalier Classic for both squads. Set scores were 19-25, 25-14, 25-16, 20-25 and 15-13.
 
“What a great crowd,” head coach Lee Maes said. “The fans had a chance to watch a real exciting match.”
 
The Cavaliers (5-5) were led by freshman McKenzie Adams, who landed a personal-best 14 kills, while junior Simone Asque and sophomore Jess O’Shoney each reached double-digit kills as well. Asque, who also tied the program’s second-best individual match performance in service aces – landing seven, knocked down 13 kills and O’Shoney landed 10.
 
Defensively, three Cavaliers tallied double-digit digs, led by a match-high 23 from senior AJ Cushman. Freshman Emily Rottman collected 12 and sophomore Rachel Gray contributed her first double-double of the season with 10 digs and 13 assists.
 
Sophomore Beth Wildermuth also helped lead the offense, distributing 28 assists.
 
At the net, three Cavaliers – sophomore Tobi Farrar, freshman Mallory Woolridge and O’Shoney – each tallied five blocks, while Rottman had four.
 
For Virginia Tech (9-1), Jennifer Wiker led the way with a match-high 21 kills, while Justine Record had 11 and Felicia Willoughby landed 10. Erin Leaser recorded a double-double of 44 assists and 14 digs, while Amy Wengrenovich led the team with 17 digs.
 
“Tonight’s match was indicative of who served and passed better,” Maes said. “We won our two sets significantly because we were more proficient with our serve and pass game. Then we let Virginia Tech back into the match by making unforced hitting errors and not being able to sustain a level of quality passing as the match wore on.”
 
In the opening of the first set, back-to-back aces from Asque and a kill from Farrar gave Virginia a 10-8 lead, forcing the Hokies to call a timeout. Out of the break, Virginia Tech worked to even the score to 10. From there, the score remained even until a six-point run by the Hokies led Virginia to call a second timeout, down 22-16. The Cavaliers weren’t able to recover from the deficit, as Virginia Tech went on to win, 25-19.
 
The Cavaliers regrouped between sets and used a 4-0 run to take a 5-1 advantage. Virginia extended its lead to nine, at 14-6, forcing Virginia Tech to call a timeout. Virginia extended its lead to 10 on the next point and cruised to a 25-14 win.
 
In the third stanza, the Cavaliers rattled off seven-straight points behind the strong serving of Asque, who had three aces in the run, giving Virginia a 20-13 lead. From there, the Cavaliers didn’t look back and went on to win the match, 25-16.
 
The fourth frame was another tight battle, up until Virginia Tech broke open an even 17-17 score with four-straight points. The Cavaliers rallied for back-to-back points of their own, but it wasn’t enough as the Hokies forced a fifth game with a 25-20 win.
 
With five tie scores throughout the opening of the fifth frame, the Hokies used a rally midway through the game to earn a 13-10 lead. But despite being down three, the Cavaliers responded by scoring three of the next four points, forcing Virginia Tech to call a timeout, up 14-13. However, the Cavaliers were unable to even the score and the Hokies claimed the match with a 15-13 deciding set score.
 
“We played well enough to win the match, but we didn’t make enough positive plays at critical times,” Maes said. “Two unforced errors at the wrong time can cost you and that’s what happened in the fifth game.”
 
Virginia will return to action tomorrow, facing its second-straight in-state opponent, George Mason, in Mem Gym at 7 p.m.
 
 

UCF Volleyball Team Falls to James Madison at Chattanooga Classic

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UCF Volleyball Team Falls to James Madison at Chattanooga Classic
The Knights will face Chattanooga and Belmont Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively. 
 
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (UCFAthletics.com) – Outside hitter Kristin Fisher (Clearwater, Fla.) posted a double-double with a team and match-high 16 kills, 13 digs, five blocks and two service aces, but it was not enough as the UCF (7-3) volleyball team fell to James Madison, 3-1 (23-25, 22-25, 25-17, 21-25), Friday afternoon on the opening day of the Chattanooga Classic.
 
For the first time this season, the Knights held the advantage in blocks in the match with 10.5 total blocks compared to the Dukes’ 7.0 total team blocks.
 
Fisher led the team with her five total blocks, which included two block solos, while Brittanie Wallace (Austin, Texas), Evija Vilde (Riga, Latvia) and Nichole Riedel (Denver, Colo.) each added three blocks and nine kills for the Black and Gold.
 
Rachel Vukson (Oakville, Ont.) and Marie Reiterova (Luxembourg, Luxembourg) split time leading the UCF offense, with Vukson dishing out 26 assists and Reiterova contributing 19.
 
In the back court, sophomores Meredith Murphy (Austin, Texas) and Dani Harrison (Tallahassee, Fla.) posted 12 digs apiece and freshman Roxy Mendez (Orlando, Fla.) added a career-best 10 digs against James Madison.
 
After dropping the first two sets to the Dukes, UCF bounced back to win the third set after hitting .400 as a team with 12 kills and only three attack errors, but it was James Madison (8-2) who prevailed in the fourth set to bring the match to a close.
 
The Knights will conclude play in the Chattanooga Classic Saturday with matches against the host Mocs and Belmont at 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively.
 
Season tickets are now available for purchase for only $30 online at UCFAthletics.com or by calling the UCF Athletics Ticket Office at (407) UCF-1000. The Knights are set to host 13 regular-season matches at The Venue at UCF this season, which includes 10 Conference USA contests.
 
#####
 
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--UCF Athletics--

Memphis Volleyball Team Holds off Jackson State in UCA Sugar Bear Classic

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Memphis Volleyball Team Holds off Jackson State in UCA Sugar Bear Classic
Tigers to take on UCA at 7 p.m.
 
Jackson State (3-7) 26  23  18
Memphis (8-2) 28  25  25
 
CONWAY, Ark. — Memphis got 11 kills from Altrese Hawkins and Marija Jovanovic, and used late-game comebacks to claim win each of the first two sets en route to a sweep of Jackson State at the UCA Sugar Bear Classic this morning. The win extends the Tiger’s current streak to five matches and improves them to 8-2 on the year.
 
 “Jackson State hustles and has athletes that can give you trouble if you are not playing at your top level,” said head coach April Jauregui. “We didn't start the match off playing Tiger volleyball, but in the end, we picked it up and were able to pull it out. When our serve and pass game is clicking we are a tough team. We were struggling a little in that area in games one and two. Tonight against UCA we must bring our best. They are a good team. I am looking forward to this match up and test for our team.”
 
Memphis’ five-match win streak is it longest since 2007, while its 8-2 start is the best since 2006.
 
Game one saw the Tigers fall behind 14-8 after a 6-0 run Jackson State. However, Memphis withstood the initial barrage and countered with a kill by Altrese Hawkins and a service ace by Vesna Jelic as part of a three-point push to keep the tilt close at 14-11. The Tiger continued to chip away at Jackson State’s lead and pulled even at 18-all after forcing four JSU attacking errors. From there the two clubs battle back and forth with Memphis gaining the advantage after a block by Jovanovic and Katie Meyer. With the score knotted at 26, the JSU made a serving error and followed with an attacking error to give Memphis the hard-fought 28-26 win.
 
Set two was much like the first, with Jackson State using a 5-1 surge to take a five-point lead and force Memphis into a timeout. A pair of kills by setter Hajnalka Molnar and Jovanovic helped the Tigers grab the momentum and even the slate at 14-14. The two sides battled through four ties, with the last coming at 21-21 on assisted blocks by Altrese Hawkins and Meyer. Jovanovic followed with kills on the next two serves to put Memphis on top 23-21. That would be all the cushion the U of M needed for a 2-0 lead.
 
Kills by Katlin Inglish and Cassidy Hawkins fueled a four-point run that gave Memphis a 10-6 lead early in the third. The Tigers never looked back and extended the advantage to 14-7 on three-straight service aces by Jelic. The sophomore outside hitter finished the contest with a match-high five aces. Memphis led by as many as 10 points on five occasions before JSU made a late push in a 25-18 final.
 
Molnar recorded her first double-double of the season, handing out 35 assists and adding 11 digs. Jovanovic hit a stiff .409 in the contest and Cassidy Hawkins hit .357 with seven kills.
 
Libero Christine Bach led the Memphis defense with a match-best 14 digs. Meyer made five total blocks.
 
Memphis will take on the host UCA Sugar Bears in the nightcap. First serve is set for 7 p.m. at UCA’s Prince Center. Tiger fans can watch the match live by logging on to www.ucagameday.com.
***www.gotigersgo.com***
 

University of Memphis Tiger Volleyball Heads To Central Arkansas For Final Preseason Tournament

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University of Memphis Tiger Volleyball Heads to Central Arkansas for Final Preseason Tournament
Hawkins named MOP of Memphis Invitational Tournament
 
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Winners of three-straight and seven of its last eight, the University of Memphis volleyball team will round out preseason play this weekend, when it travels to Conway, Ark. to compete in the UCA Sugar Bear Classic. The Tigers will face Jackson State (11 a.m.) and UCA (7 p.m.) on Fri., Sept. 17. Memphis will take on Northwestern State on Sat., Sept. 18 at 10 a.m.
   
At 7-2, Memphis is off to its best start since head coach April Jauregui’s inaugural season in 2008. The Tigers defeated Tennessee State, LaSalle and Air Force to win the 2010 Memphis Invitational over the weekend. The U of M swept TSU in Friday’s home opener and breezed past LaSalle, 3-0 in Saturday’s early match. It took Memphis five sets to fight off and scrappy Air Force club to claim the tournament crown in the final match of the weekend. The tournament title was the Tiger’s first outright home tournament championship since 2006.
 
Riding the swings of sophomores Altrese Hawkins, Marija Jovanovic and Vesna Jelic, the Tigers have claimed two tournament titles and a runner-up finish in the first three weeks of the season. A preseason All-C-USA selection, Hawkins earned her first-ever C-USA Offensive Player of the Week honors on Mon., Sept. 13, after taking home the Memphis Invitational MOP award. Hawkins, who is ranked 49th nationally with a 3.94 kills per set average, has connected for a team-high 138 kills and a stout .350 hitting percentage. She has reached double-figures in kills in every outing this year. Jovanovic is second on the squad with 98 kills. The sophomore averages 2.80 kills per set and leads the club with 14 service aces. She has been a wall at the net with 17 total blocks. Jelic is the team’s third option and has 52 kills. She has been strong defensively, logging 76 digs in the Memphis back row. The Belgrade, Serbia native, leads the Tigers with two double-double performances this year.
 
Defensively, libero Christine Bach leads Memphis with 118 digs. The senior has eclipsed the 1,400 digs milestone and moved into fourth all-time on Memphis career digs ledger. Fellow senior Becky Shaffer has picked up 50 digs this year and eclipsed the 1,000-digs plateau last weekend. At the net, Memphis is paced by sophomore middle blocker Cassidy Hawkins. Hawkins, a transfer from UT Martin, has a team-high 28 total blocks, including eight solo rejections.
 
Last Time Out
Memphis 3, Air Force 2
Air Force (2-7) 18  25  14  25    8
Memphis (7-2) 25  16  25  22  15
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – It took Memphis five sets to take down Air Force and claim its first outright home tournament title since 2006. The Tigers outside hitters combined for 48 of the team’s 59 kills in the nightcap. Jovanovic led the Tigers with a match-best 17 kills, while Altrese Hawkins downed 16. Vesna Jelic put together a strong double-double outing of 15 kills and 14 digs.
 
Bach capped a solid week with 19 digs. Cassidy Hawkins and Jovanovic made five blocks each for the Tigers, who held Air Force to .096 for the contest.
   
Scouting Jackson State
Jackson State brings a 3-6 mark into the weekend after sweeping Grambling State on Tuesday. The win snapped a four-match losing streak for the Tigers, who did not play last weekend.
   
All-Time Series vs. Tigers
Memphis 3-0 all-time against Jackson State. The U of M has swept JSU in all three matches. The series was last played in the 2001 season.
 
Scouting UCA
UCA has played a highly competitive schedule in the preseason and has a 6-6 record to show for it. The Sugar Bears have played the likes of Oklahoma, #21 LSU, Virginia Tech, Missouri and Western Kentucky in the early season.
   
All-Time Series vs. the Sugar Bears
In a series that dates back to the 1978 season, Memphis is 7-0 all-time against UCA. Tigers and Sugar Bears have met five times since 2004, including playing every year since 2006. Memphis has defeated UCA in four sets in each of the last three meetings.
 
Scouting Northwestern State
Northwestern State comes into the week fresh off its second tournament win of the 2010 preseason. Winners of four-straight matches, the Lady Demons are 7-3 with tournament wins at the ASU Classic and McNeese State Invitational.  Co-head coaches Hugh and Stephanie Hernesman returns eight letterwinners and five starters from last year’s team that went 3-21.
 
All-Time Series vs. the Lady Demons
Memphis won its lone match versus Northwestern State, 2-1, back in 1972–38 years ago.
 
Who’s Got Next?
Memphis will open C-USA play next weekend with home matches versus Tulsa on September 25 and 26. The Tigers and Golden Hurricane will square off in the league-opener at 1 p.m. of Sat., Sept. 26, followed by a 1 p.m. contest on the Sunday. 
 
***www.gotigersgo.com***
 

No. 19 LSU Volleyball Team Faces Auburn In SEC Opener

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No. 19 LSU Volleyball Team Faces Auburn in SEC Opener
 
BATON ROUGE – The No. 19 LSU volleyball team continues its five-match homestand and starts SEC action with its annual “Gold Match” in addition to “Student Point Night” Friday at 7 p.m., against Auburn.
 
The Tigers (9-0, 0-0 SEC) ran through the non-conference slate undefeated to claim three tournament titles highlighted by wins over fellow 2009 NCAA Tournament squads Rice, TCU and Texas A&M. The last time LSU started a season 9-0 was during the program’s second consecutive Final Four run in 1991. 
 
“We’re excited to be where we are after playing a very demanding non-conference schedule,” head coach Fran Flory said. “It’s certainly a tribute to the work ethic of our players and how they’ve bought into our system. Everyone says we have a target on our back being defending SEC champions, but it’s a new season. Top to bottom the league is tough, and we’ve talked about being the best team we can be.”
 
The Tigers are fueled by Angela Bensend, the SEC’s leader with 4.23 kills per set. She has posted double figure spikes in seven of nine matches sparked by a career-best 22 kills and added 17 digs against New Mexico State.
 
“Benny has become the stabilizing force on our team,” Flory said. “She truly is our heart and has handled that tough role extremely well to have a tremendous season up to this point.”
 
LSU also has received strong performances by reigning SEC Player of the Week Michele Williams, who has connected for a scorching .371 hitting percentage to rank fourth in the league. She also leads the Tigers with 33 blocks.
 
Madie Jones joined Bensend and Williams to notch Tiger Classic All-Tournament Team honors last weekend.  She belted a career-high 20 kills against New Mexico State.
 
Brittney Johnson has collected a team-best four double-doubles aided by back-to-back efforts against Rice [32 assists and 14 digs] and New Mexico State [54 assists and 10 digs] to wrap up the Tiger Classic. Her 10.35 assists per set are second in the SEC.
 
Lauren Waclawczyk, Sam Delahoussaye and Meghan Mannari have spearheaded LSU’s back line. The trio has contributed 14 combined double figure dig efforts. Waclawczyk’s 4.29 digs and 0.32 aces per set check in at fifth-and eighth-place in the SEC rankings, respectively. 
 
“The bottom line is we had to reinvent ourselves to be a great defensive, ball control and balanced offensive team,” Flory said. “We’ve been able to accomplish that. There’s no doubt that there’s a long season still ahead of us. They’re 20 SEC matches, and we’re excited to get started.”
 
Auburn (9-3, 0-0 SEC) has eight different players that have averaged over a kill per set. Sarah Bullock leads the way with 103 kills, while Christina Solverson and Chelsea Wintzinger have combined to dish out 11.01 assists per set. Defensively, the Tigers are guided by Liz Crouch. She picked up SEC Defensive Player of the Week after posting 5.60 digs per set en route to C of C Classic MVP honors. 
 
“Auburn comes in with the most-improved team in the conference,” Flory said. “They’ve made some great additions to their roster and have a balanced attack. They will present a big challenge to our team for opening weekend.”
 
First serve is slated for 7 p.m., and fans following @lsuvolleyball on Twitter are eligible to win four tickets to the LSU football home opener against Mississippi State by retweeting the answer to the Tiger volleyball trivia question.
 
The first 400 students also receive a "Gold Diggers" T-Shirt and will be awarded coveted priority points needed to receive such items as LSU football tickets, which include road games and bowl games.
 
Live video and live stats are available in the Geaux Zone on LSUsports.net. Fans also can follow live in-match updates on the team's official blog at http://lsuvolleyball.posterous.com.
 

No. 2 Penn State Volleyball Team Hosts Rockvale Outlets Classic

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No. 2 Penn State Volleyball Team Hosts Rockvale Outlets Classic

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., Sept. 16, 2010 – The No. 2 Penn State women’s volleyball team is back home in Rec Hall this weekend to host the Rockvale Outlets Classic. The Nittany Lions take on George Washington on Friday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m., Princeton on Saturday, Sept. 18 at 10 a.m. and St. John’s that evening at 7 p.m.
 
Live stats will be available for all matches via a link at GoPSUsports.com. Friday’s 7 p.m. match with George Washington as well as Saturday’s 7 p.m. match with St. John’s will be streamed live via Penn State All-Access.
 
Nittany Lion Preview
The three-time defending national champion Penn State women’s volleyball team returns to the confines of Rec Hall for its final weekend of preseason play. The Nittany Lions welcome George Washington of the Atlantic 10, Princeton of the Ivy League and St. John’s of the Big East.
 
PSU improved to 7-1 after earning a 3-1 victory against then No. 4 Florida, but suffering a 3-0 setback to then No. 2 Stanford. Three Nittany Lions are averaging 2.56 kills per set or more, including senior Blair Brown (Purcellville, Va.) who leads the team with 3.64 kills per set. Freshman Deja McClendon (Louisville, Ky.) is not far behind with 3.56 kills per set. Sophomore Kristin Carpenter (Mechanicsville, Va.) has been the primary setter this season, averaging 9.57 assists per set. She has guided three of her primary hitters to a .321 hitting percentage or better. Senior libero Alyssa D’Errico (Byron, N.Y.) has a team-high 4.56 digs per set and senior Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) leads the team at the net with 1.32 blocks per set.

Penn State vs. George Washington
The Nittany Lions are 20-2 all-time against the Colonials. George Washington won the first match in 1977, 3-2, but Penn State won the next four. The Colonials won a second five-set match in 1980, but the Nittany Lions have won all 16 meetings since. The squads last met Sept. 6, 2008 with Penn State defeating the Colonials, 3-0 at Rec Hall.

Scouting the Colonials
GWU is 8-3 heading into this weekend’s matches. The Colonials have competed in the DC Challenge, UVA Holiday Inn Jefferson Cup and the Cleveland State Invitational, going 2-1 in each tournament. In addition, George Washington traveled to UMBC and earned a 3-0 win and hosted Loyola (Md.) winning the match in straight sets.
 
Penn State vs. Princeton
Penn State owns a 6-2 record against the Tigers dating back to 1977. Princeton won two of the first three meetings between the teams, but Penn State has won the last five. All but one match has been played in neutral territory. The Tigers and Nittany Lions have not met since Oct. 6, 1984 when Penn State won, 2-0, at Princeton.

Scouting the Tigers
Princeton is 4-3 overall after two weekends of play. The Tigers went 3-0 at the Lafayette Tournament, but went on to lose their next three matches. Princeton is coming off a 3-0 win against George Mason on Sept. 11.
 
Penn State vs. St. John’s
The Nittany Lions and the Red Storm have only met once previously with Penn State defeating St. John’s, 3-0. Penn State hosted St. John’s on Sept. 7, 2007 in the Penn State Classic at Rec Hall.

Scouting the Red Storm
St. John’s is 11-3 so far in 2010. The Red Storm opened the season with a 3-1 win against Iowa in the Army Invitational, before suffering a 3-1 setback to New Hampshire. The Red Storm went on to win their next nine matches before Binghamton cut off the streak handing St. John’s a 3-0 setback. Despite losing at Buffalo on Sept. 11, the Red Storm earned a 3-0 win against Fordham on Sept. 14.
 
Penn State Recap
Penn State’s record-breaking win streak came to an end on Sept. 11 with a 3-0 loss to then second-ranked Stanford in the Nike Big Four Volleyball Classic hosted by The University of Florida on Sept. 10-11. The Nittany Lions recorded 109 consecutive match wins between Sept. 21, 2007 and Sept. 11, 2010. Brown led all players with 3.86 kills per set, while McClendon ranked second on the team with 3.29 kills per set. Carpenter dished out 9.50 assists per set, while Brown led the team in the back row with 3.71 digs per set. Wilson was a wall at the net averaging 1.57 blocks per set.

What’s Next?
Penn State begin Big Ten play on Friday, Sept. 24 at Illinois. The Nittany Lions face the Illini at 7 p.m. in Champaign. From there, PSU heads to Wisconsin for a Sunday afternoon match with Wisconsin. Action is set for 2 p.m. ET in Madison.
 
For more information on the Penn State women’s volleyball team, please visit GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State women’s volleyball 2010 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets at Hershey.
 

UNLV REBELS Volleyball Team Hosts Second Volleyball Tournament

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UNLV REBELS Volleyball Team Hosts Second Volleyball Tournament

UNLV will welcome Cal State Northridge, San Jose State and Xavier to Las Vegas this weekend.

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – The UNLV Rebels will host its second and final home tournament this weekend with the UNLV Classic that will be held Sept. 17-18 in the Cox Pavilion. The Classic will also be the last of the four tournaments that UNLV will participate in during the 2010 campaign.

The Rebels will welcome Cal State Northridge, San Jose State and Xavier to Las Vegas for the two-day event. UNLV will open up action with a 7:00 pm affair with Northridge Friday night. The Rebels will then play a pair of contests Saturday beginning with a 12:30 pm tilt with San Jose State followed by a 7:00 pm nightcap with Xavier.

ON THE SIDELINES: The UNLV Rebels will only play one match next week with a Friday night (7:00 pm) tussle against Air Force. The match will be the Mountain West Conference opener for both teams.

NEHF NAMED ALL-TOURNAMENT...AGAIN: Sara Nehf earned all-tournament honors for the second time this season with her performance this past weekend in the UNLV Invitational. Nehf amassed a total of 26 kills, 10 digs, two blocks, two assists and one ace in UNLV’s three matches. She led the team offensively in two matches with eight and 12 kills against Pepperdine (Sept. 11) and Cal State Fullerton (Sept. 11), respectively.

Two weeks ago, she was named to Oregon State’s Active Ankle Challenge (Sept. 3-4). She led all Rebels in kills with 46 and also contributed 10 digs, two blocks and one assist. She notched double-digit kills twice with 17 against Oregon State (Sept. 4) and a career/season-high 21 vs. Florida Gulf Coast (Sept. 4).

-UNLV-

Utah Volleyball Team Concludes Road Trip at Arizona State Sheraton Tournament

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Utah Volleyball Team Concludes Road Trip at Arizona State Sheraton Tournament
Utes look to halt three-match losing streak.
 
The University of Utah volleyball team concludes its nine-match road trip at the Arizona State Sheraton Tournament this weekend.
 
The Utes’ first match in Phoenix, Ariz., will be against Pacific, Friday at 5 p.m. MT. Utah will play two matches Saturday, beginning against No. 22 Michigan at 10 a.m. MT, then against host Arizona State at 7 p.m. MT. Live stats for all three of Utah’s matches at the Arizona State Sheraton Tournament can be found at thesundevils.com.
 
All-Tournament Team Utes: Utah freshman outside hitter Morgan Odale (Star, Idaho) represented Utah on the 2010 Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational All-Tournament Team last weekend. Odale hit for 3.58 kills and 2.58 digs per set in Utah’s three matches. She has hit for 10 or more kills in seven of the first eight matches of her Utah career. In the opener against Oklahoma, Odale had 14 kills to go along with eight digs and a pair of blocks. She then had 19 kills and 18 digs against Missouri State for her fourth double-double this season. Odale then gave a 10-kill effort to go along with five digs and a block against St. Louis.
Pacific Series: The Utes own a 2-1 lead in the all-time series with the Tigers. Utah won the last meeting 3-1 on Nov. 29, 2008 in Stockton, Calif. The Utes also took a five-set win on Aug. 31, 2002 from No. 12 Pacific in Salt Lake City.
Michigan Series: Utah lost its only other meeting with the Wolverines on Sept. 14, 1991 in Houston, Texas at the Rice Invitational. The match went three sets with Michigan pulling out a 15-9, 15-12, 15-13 win. 
Arizona State Series: Utah trails the series with Arizona State, 9-3. The Utes won the last meeting, however, taking a 3-0 decision in the season opener last year at Crimson Court.
- UU -

Female Volleyball Players Of The Week And All-Tournament Volleyball Teams Named This Weekend Sept 13

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Female Volleyball Players Of The Week And All-Tournament Volleyball Teams Named This Weekend Sept 13

 

University at Buffalo volleyball team Sweeps Mid American Conference Player Of The Week Honors

BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo volleyball team swept the MAC East Player of the Week awards on Monday morning as the Bulls took both the offensive and defensive honor.  Junior Abby Niekamp was honored for the first time by the conference as the offensive player of the week, while senior Kristin Bignell, picked up her fourth career player of the week honor, as the league’s defensive player of the week.
Niekamp was named to the All-Tournament team at the Blue and White Classic finishing with 35 kills on the week. Niekamp was extremely efficient as she hit .500 in the four matches, recording just seven total errors on 56 swings. Niekamp had 12 kills twice on the week, against Binghamton and St. John’s. Niekamp also added eight total blocks.  She leads the Bulls in hitting percentage at .424 and is second on the team in kills with 88 and blocks with 27.
Bignell led the way with 17 total blocks on the week, including a career-high 13 blocks against St. John’s. Bignell’s 11 block assists against the Red Storm were just two off the school record for block assists in a four-set match. Bignell was just as impressive offensively, as she hit .354 with 24 kills.  Bignell is currently second on the team in hitting percentage at .408 and her 83 kills are third.  Bignell has a team-high 33 total blocks, including seven solos.
The Bulls head back on the road this weekend for four matches at the West Point Invitational.  UB starts on Friday morning at 10:00 am against Hofstra.

 

The Big Ten Conference announced the volleyball players of the week on Monday. Below are this week’s honorees:
 
Co-Players of the Week:
Ashley Benson, Indiana
Sr., MB, Bloomington, Ind./Bloomington North
 
Benson wins her third Big Ten Player of the Week honor after the senior middle blocker won tournament Most Valuable Player honors for the third weekend in a row. She led the Hoosiers to four wins on the strength of her .629 hitting percentage and averages of 4.5 kills, 1.6 digs and 1.0 blocks per set. Benson’s standout performance of the weekend was against Niagara, where she finished with 17 kills and an .889 hitting percentage. She also posted double-digit kill efforts against Robert Morris (11) and Colgate (14).
 
Last Indiana Player of the Week: Ashley Benson (Nov. 3, 2008)
 
Ashley Wittman, Minnesota
Fr., OH, Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee
 
Wittman wins her first Big Ten Player of the Week distinction after earning All-Tournament honors and aiding in Minnesota’s three victories at the Gopher Invitational. The freshman recorded a pair of double-doubles on the weekend and averaged 4.1 kills on .355 hitting, 4.0 digs and 0.9 blocks per set. On Saturday morning against Delaware, she finished with 20 kills to go along with 18 digs in a four-set win. She also recorded 12 kills, 11 digs and 12 blocks in the afternoon against Duke.
 
Last Minnesota Player of the Week: Tabitha Love (Aug. 30, 2010)
 
Defensive Player of the Week:
Allie Schwarzwalder, Ohio State
Sr., MB, North Royalton, Ohio/North Royalton
 
Schwarzwalder claims the first weekly honor of her career after helping Ohio State to a perfect 4-0 weekend and earning All-Tournament team honors at the Madison Bingman Memorial Tournament. The senior averaged 2.1 blocks per set and was part of the Buckeye defense that held opponents to an .085 hitting percentage on the weekend. She recorded the first double-double of her career, finishing with 10 kills and 10 blocks vs. Sacred Heart. Schwarzwalder currently ranks second in the Big Ten with 1.68 blocks per set.
 
Last Ohio State Defensive Player of the Week: Kaila Calhoun (Oct. 29, 2007)
 
Freshman of the Week:
Ashley Wittman, Minnesota
OH, Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee
 
Wittman wins her second Freshman of the Week honor after earning All-Tournament honors and aiding in Minnesota’s three victories at the Gopher Invitational.. The freshman recorded a pair of double-doubles on the weekend and averaged 4.1 kills on .355 hitting, 4.0 digs and 0.9 blocks per set. On Saturday morning against Delaware, she finished with 20 kills to go along with 18 digs in a four-set win. She recorded 12 kills, 11 digs and 12 blocks in the afternoon against Duke.
 
Last Minnesota Freshman of the Week: Ashley Wittman (Aug. 30, 2010)
 
 
2010 Players of the Week
Aug. 30 P: Tabitha Love, So., MINN
    D: Hillary Haen, Sr., ILL
    F: Ashley Wittman, MINN
Sept. 6   P: Michelle Bartsch, Jr., ILL
    D: Jessica Granquist, Jr., MINN
    F: Jennifer Bonilla, ILL
    F: Deja McClendon, PSU
Sept. 13     P: Ashley Benson, Sr., IND
    P: Ashley Wittman, Fr., MINN
    D: Allie Schwarzwalder, Sr., OSU
    F: Ashley Wittman, MINN

 

 

Sept. 13 Conference USA Volleyball Players of the Week
Memphis' Hawkins, SMU's Stewart and Seymour of Southern Miss pick up weekly honors.
 
 
 
Altrese Hawkins

 

C-USA ON FACEBOOK | C-USA ON TWITTER
IRVING, Texas - Conference USA has named Memphis outside hitter Altrese Hawkins its Offensive Player of the Week after leading the Tigers to the Memphis Invitational championship. She posted team highs of 44 points and a .348 attack percentage on her way to earning Most Outstanding Player honors. Collecting C-USA Defensive Player of the Week accolades for the second time this season is SMU's Sidney Stewart. She hustled for 5.92 digs-per-set in three matches to earn All-Tournament team honors at the Lobo Comcast Challenge. Southern Miss junior Kelsea Seymour was voted the league's Setter of the Week after averaging 11.67 assists and 3.25 digs per set. She also led her team to a .262 hitting efficiency during the two-day Ole Miss Tournament.

For complete release - http://conferenceusa.cstv.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/091310aad.html 

 

 

Emily Shearin Named All-Tournament at the UniWyo Cowgirl Classic

For a second consecutive week, Emily Shearin capped a weekend with all-tournament team honors.
 
This time, the junior middle blocker earned the nod at the UniWyo Cowgirl Classic.
 
Shearin established herself as a bright spot over the weekend. She finished the weekend with 19 kills and just four attack errors, finishing with a .283 attack percentage. The Dallas native also had six digs and 14 blocks.
 
UT Arlington returns home this weekend to host the UT Arlington Hilton Invitational. They open the tournament with a 7 p.m. match against UTEP at Texas Hall.

UC Riverside Volleyball Player Kelly Simpson Named To ASU Sheraton Invitational All-Tournament Team

Tempe, AZ - UC Riverside senior Kelly Simpson was named to her second All-Tournament Team of the 2010 season on Saturday as she garnered ASU Sheraton Invitational All-Tournament Team honors after her performance for the Highlanders against Utah Valley, High Point, and Arizona State.

Simpson helped UCR to a 1-2 record at the invitational, including the team's first win of the year against High Point on Friday evening.

For the weekend, the Modesto, CA native tallied 20 kills, 2.22 kills per set, 23 digs, 2.56 digs per set, and six total blocks -- all top-3 on the team.

Other players selected to the ASU Sheraton Invitational All-Tournament Team include Brookelyn Campbell (named tournament MVP) and Kayli Doxey from Utah Valley; Sarah Reaves and Ashley Kasti from Arizona State; and Megan Smith from High Point.

UC Riverside concludes the non-conference portion of its schedule at the Utah State Invitational on Sept. 17-18 in Logan, UT.

[Pac-10] Alix Klineman Voted Pac-10 Women's Volleyball Player of the Week

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - STANFORD’s Alix Klineman was named Pac-10 Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 6-12, Commissioner Larry Scott announced today. Klineman led Stanford to a history-making weekend at the inaugural Nike Big Four Volleyball Classic in Gainesville, Fla. The Cardinal swept No. 5 Texas on Friday and then defeated No. 1 Penn State in the championship match to remain undefeated on the season. Stanford’s win broke the Nittany Lions’ 109 match-winning streak, the second longest streak in NCAA history in any sport.

A 6-4 outside hitter from Manhattan Beach, Calif., Klineman led all players against Texas with 10 kills, nine digs, three blocks and two aces. Versus Penn State, Klineman tallied her third double-double of the season and again led all players with 16 kills and 10 digs. The senior became the 10th player in Stanford history to register 1,500 career kills and now holds 1,515. For her efforts, Klineman was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, marking the third-consecutive week she has walked away with that honor.

It is Klineman’s fifth-career Pac-10 Player of the Week honor, second of the 2010 season and the 71st for Stanford all-time.

The Cardinal returns to the Bay Area for two away matches as a part of the Pac-10/WCC Challenge. Stanford plays at Saint Mary’s on Friday and at San Francisco on Saturday.

Also Nominated: Paige Weber, ARIZ; Sarah Reaves, ASU; Tarah Murrey, CAL; Heather Meyers, ORE; Jill Sawatzky, OSU; Dicey McGraw, UCLA; Katie Fuller, USC; Kindra Carlson, WASH; Meagan Ganzer, WSU.

2010 Pac-10 Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week
Aug. 30 - Alix Klineman, Stanford
Sept. 6 - Alex Jupiter, USC
Sept. 13 - Alix Klineman, Stanford

- www.pac-10.org -
 

Whitney Billings Named SEC Freshman of the Week
Freshman named to the UK Invite All-Tournament team after leading team in kills

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Kentucky freshman Whitney Billings was named the Southeastern Conference’s Freshman of the Week after averaging 3.28 kills per set and earning UK Invitational All-Tournament team honors it was announced by the league office Monday.
Billings has started 9-of-10 matches for the Blue and White this season and is UK’s top offensive performer with over 3.20 kills per frame. She broke out this weekend for a career-best 23-kill performance against No. 17 Florida State. Billings became the first Kentucky player this season to record 20 or more kills in a match and did so on a career best .360 hitting percentage.
 
During Kentucky’s 2-2 week, she reached double-figures in three matches and had a pair of double-double efforts including a 14-kill, 16-dig effort in a five-set win over Kansas State. Her 16 scoops against the other Wildcats is a career-high. Billings is becoming more efficient offensively, as her hitting percentage was nearly 100 points higher than her season average and she hit over .300 in two of the four matches this week for the Blue and White.   
Billings is the first UK player to earn an SEC Player of the Week award in 2010. Under the direction of Coach Craig Skinner, the Wildcats have had at least one player earn an SEC Freshman of the Week award in each of his six seasons coaching.
 
Kentucky opens SEC play this week with a pair of home dates. UK welcomes No. 4 Florida to Memorial Coliseum, Fri. Sept 17 for a 7 p.m. ET start. Sunday, Kentucky will square off with South Carolina at 1 p.m. ET. That match will air live on CWKYT.
 
Follow along all season long with the Wildcats at UKathletics.com.

Calhoun, Daigle Named Southland Volleyball Players of the Week

Calhoun hit .475 through four matches,
Daigle is the first two-time player of the week selection this season

FRISCO, Texas – Texas State junior middle blocker Amber Calhoun and Nicholls junior libero Danielle Daigle were named offensive and defensive players of the week respectively by vote of the Southland Conference sports information directors Monday. Calhoun hit .475 through four matches to lead the Bobcats to a 3-1 record while Daigle, who was named to the all-tournament team at the Nicholls Invitational, is the first league player to receive two weekly honors this season.
Offensive Player of the Week – Amber Calhoun, Texas State
Calhoun, a native of Houston, Texas, hit .500-or-higher in three of the teams four matches for the week, including a career-high 13-kill performance in which she hit .619 against North Texas. Calhoun had seven kills and four blocks while hitting .500 against Prairie View A&M to start the week to earn Century Link Premier All-Tournament Team honors after leading the team with 26 kills and a .468 hitting percentage over three matches. She committed just four errors on 47 attempts during the tournament and led the Bobcats with 42.5 points scored during the week as she also averaged 1.14 blocks per set.
Honorable Mention: Jasmine Harris, Nicholls; Kourtney Adams, Northwestern State; Kaylee Hawkins, Sam Houston State; Kelsey Schwirtlich, UTSA.
Defensive Player of the Week – Danielle Daigle, Nicholls
Daigle, a native of Napoleonville, La., was named as the All-Tournament Libero of the 2010 Nicholls Invitational Presented by the Thibodaux Regional Medical Center. Daigle led a Nicholls defense that held its three opponents to a .083 hitting percentage. She currently leads the conference with a 5.69 dig/set average. Daigle recorded 29 digs in four sets of play in a 3-1 win over South Alabama, another 17 digs in three sets against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and had 15 more in a 3-0 win over Southern. She had 14 assists on the weekend, including eight against UAPB.
Honorable Mention: Laranda Spann, Northwestern State; Emily Shearin, UT Arlington; Kelsey Jewasko, UTSA; Ashlee Hilburn, Texas State. 
– www.Southland.org–

 

Auburn Volleyball Player Liz Crouch Named SEC Defensive Player Of The Week

AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn volleyball’s senior libero Liz Crouch was
named the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Week, the
league office announced Monday. The award is the team’s first
conference honor this season and is Crouch’s second of her career.

“I’m really honored to be recognized by the SEC,” Crouch said.
“I want to do whatever I can to make the team succeed during my
final year here. We made great progress this weekend as a team as we go
into conference competition and I’m excited to be a part of that
progression.”

Crouch was named the C of C Classic Most Valuable Player after the team
captain led the Tigers to the tournament title. She was the squad’s
defensive leader as she tallied a team-best 56 digs over the weekend,
averaging 5.60 digs per set.

Crouch finished all three of Auburn’s matches as the top passer on
the court, having 20 digs in the three-set victory over Oregon State and
18 in the matches against College of Charleston and Cincinnati. Her 20
digs against OSU was a season-high and to add to her solid showing this
weekend, the back-row player tallied a career-best two kills versus
Cincinnati.

“Liz really came into her own this weekend, showing her toughness and
her commitment to Auburn volleyball,” head coach Wade Benson said.
“She proved to everyone the kind of skilled player that she is and,
as one of our captains, she is a very important part of the team. Her
ability to handle the floor defense during matches and the team’s
mentality prior to matches is essential to our success this season.”

Auburn (9-3) begins SEC competition on the road as the Tigers travel to
SEC West foes LSU and Arkansas this coming weekend. Auburn takes on
nationally-ranked and defending SEC champion LSU Friday at 7 p.m. in
Baton Rouge and then travels to Fayetteville for a 1:30 p.m. match
against the Razorback on Sunday.

 

Week 3: Big West Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week

Irvine, Calif. - Freshman outside hitter Kristina Graven guided Cal Poly to a perfect 4-0 week to earn honors.

She becomes the first Mustang to collect the conference’s weekly accolade since Kylie Atherstone received the award on Sept. 22, 2008.

She opened the week leading the Mustangs to a sweep over Idaho with her third double-double of the season (12 kills, 11 digs). Her 12 kills during the match were a team high.

Graven also assisted in a 3-0 Mustangs performance at the Nike Cougar Challenge over the weekend, earning her tournament MVP honors.

She notched two more double-doubles in the two-day event with 14 kills and 18 digs against Eastern Washington and 20 kills and 12 digs versus Washington State.

In Cal Poly’s 3-0 win over Montana State, she fell short of a double-double with 15 kills and four digs but did blast an error-free .556 hitting percentage.

The San Jose, Calif., native averaged 4.36 kills and 3.21 digs for the week, while hitting .379.

Others nominated:

Torrie Brown (Cal State Fullerton), Janisa Johnson (Long Beach State), Betsy Sedlak (UC Davis), Shelby LeDuff (UC Riverside),

Charlene DeHoog (UC Santa Barbara) and Hannah Clancy (Pacific).

###

Graven Hits Her Way To Weekly Award

 

Benson Earns Third Career Big Ten Player of the Week Honor

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Senior middle blocker Ashley Benson has been named one of the Big Ten's Co-Players of the Week, announced the conference office on Monday (Sept. 13). This marks the the third Big Ten weekly laurel of Benson's career. She shares the award this time with Minnesota outside Hitter Ashley Wittman.

Benson won tournament Most Valuable Player honors for the third weekend in a row. She led the Hoosiers to four wins on the strength of her .629 hitting percentage and averages of 4.5 kills, 1.6 digs and 1.0 blocks per set. Benson's standout performance of the weekend was against Niagara (picked to win the MAAC), where she finished with 17 kills and an .889 hitting percentage. She also posted double-digit kill efforts against Robert Morris (11) and Colgate (14).

For the season, Benson is swinging at a Big Ten-best .532 clip, 44 percentage points higher than the second highest attack efficiency. The Bloomington, Ind., native is also second in the league with 42 total blocks and fourth in blocks per set (1.42).

 

Colon Earns SBC Defensive Player of the Week Nod
 
 
MIAMI (Sept. 13, 2010) – After leading FIU to a 2-1 showing at the Hurricane Invitational this past weekend, junior Angelina Colon has been named Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week.
 
Colon was tops on the team in the digs category in all three matches at the Hurricane Invitational, as FIU defeated Bethune-Cookman and San Francisco by 3-1 scores before falling to cross-town rival Miami, 3-0, in the final match of the weekend.
 
A native of Miami, Fla., Colon established a career-high 34 digs versus B-CU en route to recording a team-leading total of 73 digs across 11 sets of play for an average of 6.64 digs per set. The defensive specialist also recorded her first kill of the season versus the LadyCats to match a career-high.
 
Colon leads FIU in digs for the season with 149 digs to date, good for an average of 4.38 digs per set. In addition, she has contributed four aces and four assists.
 
FIU will hit the road this weekend (Sept. 17-18) for the final tournament of the 2010 campaign as the Panthers travel to New Orleans for the Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Classic, hosted by Tulane. In addition to the host Green Wave, FIU will face Sam Houston State and nationally-ranked Oregon. Live stats for all matches will be available at www.tulanegreenwave.com.
 
Fans can also follow @FIUVolleyball on Twitter and search “FIU Volleyball” on Facebook to join the official Facebook group of FIU Volleyball for the most up-to-date news on the Panthers.
 
 
 
--- www.FIUSports.com --

 

Kozon Earns Second Sun Belt Volleyball Player of the Week Honors; Colon Earns Defensive Player of the Week Honors
 
For the second consecutive week, Middle Tennessee’s Izabela Kozon was named Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Player of the Week. FIU’s Angelina Colon was named the Defensive Player of the Week. Both honors were announced by the conference office on Monday.
 
After taking home Sun Belt Player of the Week last Monday, Izabela Kozon followed up with an even more impressive week on the road at Kansas and at the Middle Tennessee Invitational, helping the Blue Raiders to a pristine 4-0 record. The Polish senior started off by impressing all in attendance, reaching double figures in both kills and digs in a victory on the road over previously unbeaten Kansas in just three sets. Kozon would also post double figure kills and digs in the first two matches at the Middle Tennessee Invitational before coming up just two digs shy in the finale, ending her streak of consecutive double-doubles at six matches. In Saturday evening’s match against defending America East champion Albany, Kozon was dominating, posting 18 kills while hitting a simply outstanding .531 in a sweep of an opponent that had qualified for the NCAA Tournament in three of the last four years. Following play on Saturday, Kozon was named MVP of the Middle Tennessee Invitational.
 
Junior Angelina Colon led FIU to a 2-1 showing at the Hurricane Invitational this past weekend as the Panthers defeated Bethune-Cookman and San Francisco by 3-1 scores before falling to cross-town rival Miami, 3-0. Colon led FIU in the digs category in all three matches, establishing a career-high 34 digs versus Bethune-Cookman. The defensive specialist recorded a team-leading total of 73 digs across 11 sets of play for an average of 6.64 digs per set. A native of Miami, Fla., Colon also recorded her first kill of the season versus B-CU to match a career-high.
 
Notes:
Western Kentucky had an impressive victory Friday night, defeating No. 27 Missouri, 3-1. After an 8-3 start, the Lady Hilltoppers look to be the team to beat heading into Sun Belt Conference play. The first conference match is set for Friday, Sept. 17 as Denver hosts 2009 Sun Belt Conference Tournament Champions Middle Tennessee. WKU opens league play on Sept. 24 when they travel to Arkansas State. For a complete schedule, visit www.sunbeltsports.org.
North Texas’ Amy Huddleston earned a spot in the Mean Green record books by becoming just the fifth player in school history to earn 1,000 career kills in her team’s sweep of Tennessee-Martin on Saturday.
Louisiana-Lafayette's Lindsay Brown moved into third place all-time in the ULL record book for digs as she picked up 27 in the Rajin’ Cajuns’ loss to Ole Miss (3-2) with a career total of 1,504.
Middle Tennessee dominated their host tournament with a 3-1 victory over the University of Alabama-Birmingham and a sweep of Albany. The weekend marked yet another Middle Tennessee Invitational dominated by the Blue Raiders. Since the yearly event was renewed in 2008, Middle Tennessee carries a sterling 9-0 record, featuring a remarkable five sweeps.
 

 

TCU’S IRENE HESTER NAMED
MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
 
 
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. –­ TCU outside hitter Irene Hester has earned Mountain West Conference Volleyball Player of the Week, marking the first weekly honor of her career.
 
Hester, a 6-1 senior from Fort Worth, Texas, was named Most Valuable Player after leading the Horned Frogs to the Rutgers Invitational tournament title in New Brunswick, N.J. Overall, TCU posted a 3-1 record last week. She collected a double-double in three matches, starting with a 19-kill, 22-dig performance in a five-set loss to Baylor. Hester also had three total blocks and two service aces vs. the Bears. In a tournament-opening sweep of Princeton, she registered eight kills at a .615 hitting clip, and two digs. In a sweep of George Mason, Hester tallied 13 kills, 11 digs, seven aces, two blocks and two assists. Her seven aces vs. the Patriots are tied for the second-most in a single match in TCU program history. In the championship contest vs. Rutgers, Hester had 18 kills, 18 digs, three assists and three aces as the Horned Frogs clinched the tournament title with a five-set win.
 
For the week, Hester averaged 3.81 kills, 3.53 digs and 0.87 assists per set, while hitting .261. She also accounted for 4.93 points per set in 15 total sets.
 
MWC Volleyball Players of the Week:Aug. 30 Paije Pearson, Jr., OH, San Diego State
Sept. 7    Karolina Bartkowiak, Sr., OPP, Utah
Sept. 13 Irene Hester, Sr., OH, TCU
 

Steenhuysen Named Offensive Player of the Week

Elmhurst, IL – IPFW sophomore setter Megan Steenhuysen has been named as The Summit League Offensive Player of the Week for her performances against Oakland, Bowling Green, and Cornell, which also earned her the Most Valuable Player honors at the Best Western Falcon Plaza Invitational hosted by Bowling Green.
The sophomore picks up the first Player of the Week honors of her career after dishing out 137 assists over the course of three matches, including a career-high 54 against Oakland on Friday. She also picked up a career-high five kills against Oakland, which included the set-winning point in set three of the conference victory. She added 10 digs for her third double-double of the season.
The Grand Rapids, Michigan native added 37 assists and four kills in a sweep of Bowling Green, before adding 46 assists, a career-high two service aces, three kills and 13 digs in a four-set win over Cornell. Her fourth double-double of the season gives her 10 for her career, tied for 25th most in the IPFW record books.
Steenhuysen leads the team in assists with 351, and her 79 digs are fifth best on the squad. Her 9.75 assists per set currently tops the Summit League.
The Mastodons, now 5-5 on the season, host the Ball State Cardinals in a non-conference battle on Tuesday, September 14 at the Hilliard Gates Sports Center. 

 

Kerkman Named Summit League Defensive Player of the Week

Kansas City, Mo. -- UMKC volleyball player Nicole Kerkman was named The Summit League Defensive Player of the Week, the league office announced today.  Kerkman earns the honor after posting a career-high 27 digs against North Dakota State on Saturday night.  The junior added 16 digs against both Drake on Tuesday and South Dakota State on Friday to give her 59 total digs for the week with a 5.36 digs per set average.

On the season, the libero leads the team with 151 digs and a 3.97 digs per set average, amassing seven straight matches with 10 or more digs, while leading the team in digs in nine matches thus far this season.  Currently, Kerkman is fourth in The Summit League in total digs, while her 3.97 average ranks fifth.

The honor is the first of Kerkman’s career.  The Omaha, Neb., native is also the first Kangaroo to earn a Player of the Week nod this season.  Last year, UMKC had a total of three student-athletes earn Player of the Week honors.

The ‘Roos will be back in action on Thursday at 7 p.m. when they welcome Oral Roberts to the Swinney Recreation Center for their Summit League home opener.

 

Altrese Hawkins Nets C-USA Offensive Player of the Week Honors
Hawkins named MOP of Memphis Invitational Tournament
 
IRVING, Texas — Sophomore outside hitter Altrese Hawkins was named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week the League office announced today. Hawkins led Memphis to the Tiger’s Memphis Invitational Tournament championship and was tabbed the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. The league honor is the first for Hawkins.
 
“I am pleased that the Conference chose to recognize Altrese this week,” said head coach April Jauregui. “She has had a fantastic start to the 2010 season.”
 
Hawkins was the driving force behind the Tiger’s 3-0 weekend. The 5-10 outside hitter led Memphis with 41 kills (3.73/set), while hitting for a team-best .348 average. She downed a team-high 10 kills and hit .364 in Memphis’ home opening win over Tennessee State on Friday. The Schaumburg, Ill., native followed that outing by putting away 15 kills and hitting .536 to lead Memphis to a sweep of La Salle. She went errorless on 28 attacks versus the Explorers. Hawkins capped her award-winning winning weekend with 16 kills to help the Tigers to a 3-2 win over Air Force.
 
Memphis will round out preseason play this weekend when it travels to Conway, Ark. to play in the UCA Sugar Bear Classic. The Tigers will face Jackson State (11 a.m.) and UCA (7 p.m.) on Fri., Sept. 17. Memphis will take on Northwestern State on Sat., Sept. 18 at 10 a.m.
 
***www.gotigersgo.com***

 

Duke's McCurdy Named ACC Volleyball Freshman Of The Week

 

September 13, 2010

 

DURHAM, N.C. - Duke freshman Ali McCurdy was named ACC Volleyball Freshman of the Week after averaging 5.42 digs last week as Duke posted a 3-1 record.

 

McCurdy, a 5-7 libero, picked up 65 digs in 12 sets as Duke (8-2) posted 3-0 sweeps over Charlotte, Delaware and N.C. Central. McCurdy picked up 29 of those digs in the three-set victory over Delaware to set a school record for the most digs in a three-game match under the NCAA's 25-point scoring format. McCurdy's 29 digs were the most by a Blue Devil in three sets since 2006. For her performance at the Duke Invitational, in which Duke defeated Delaware and N.C. Central before falling to No. 12 Minnesota, McCurdy was named to the all-tournament team.

 

A native of Tampa, Fla., McCurdy ranks tied for first in the ACC with 158 digs. She has helped the Blue Devils hold opponents to a .137 hitting percentage which ranks third in the conference. She has also been an asset in the serving game where she has made only five receiving errors while posting six service aces.

 

With McCurdy anchoring the defense, Duke extended its win streak to eight consecutive matches last week before No. 12 Minnesota ended the run on Saturday evening at the Duke Invitational. Minnesota - which entered the match against Duke hitting .312 as a team - hit only .252 against the Blue Devils as McCurdy collected 11 digs.

 

McCurdy and the Blue Devils open ACC play this Friday, Sept. 17, at home against Wake Forest at 7 p.m.

 

-d-u-k-e-

 

Kayla JETER TABBED LADY VOL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
 
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For the third consecutive week, a member of the University of Tennessee volleyball team has been named the Lady Vol Athlete of the Week. After back-to-back awards went to senior Nikki Fowler, it was junior Kayla Jeter’s turn to claim the honors this week after picking up all-tournament accolades at the Baymont Inn and Suites Invitational in Athens, Ohio, last weekend.
  
A native of Solon, Ohio, Jeter played extremely well in her return to her home state, helping the Lady Volunteers pick up a pair of hard-fought wins. She finished the weekend with a total of 32 kills in three matches, while hitting at a sparkling .313 clip with just six miscues in 93 swings. She also collected nine digs, six blocks and a pair of assists.
  
UT, which was ranked No. 18 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll released Monday afternoon, suffered its first loss of the season in the tournament opener, falling in five tough sets to Northwestern, which received votes in the AVCA poll, at 10 a.m. on Friday morning. Jeter pounded out eight kills in the contest.
 
The Big Orange bounced right back later that same evening though, emerging victorious in another five-set battle, this time against host Ohio. Jeter played a huge role in UT’s victory, recording a team-high 13 kills on .414 hitting. Five of those kills came at the most crucial point in the match, as she scored the Orange and White’s final five points to help it fight off two match-points en route to claiming the fifth set, 18-16. She had just one error the entire contest on 29 attack attempts.
 
The following day, Jeter added 11 more putaways as Tennessee took out Pittsburgh in four frames. For the season, Jeter currently ranks second on  the UT squad with 77 kills, good for an average of 2.41 per set. She is also hitting at an incredible .324 clip from the outside.
Also nominated for Lady Vol Athlete of the Week were freshman tennis player Brynn Boren and junior soccer player Emily Dowd. Boren began her Tennessee career by sweeping all three singles matches, earning the Flight 2A singles title at the 2010 SEC Fall Coaches Classic. She topped No. 118-ranked Alex Clay of Alabama on Saturday and also competed in the top doubles flight with senior Rosalia Alda, going 1-2.
 
Dowd, meanwhile, posted her first career two-goal match during Tennessee’s 4-2 loss at No. 24 Arizona State and in the process improved her season goal total to a career-best three scores thus far in the 2010 campaign.
 
Jeter and the Lady Vol volleyball team will next be in action when they open league action with a 7 p.m. contest against South Carolina on Friday, Sept. 17. The Big Orange will then welcome No. 4 Florida to Rocky Top at 2 p.m. two days later, in a match set to be televised live on Comcast Sports Southeast.
  
##LADY VOL VOLLEYBALL##
 
 
 

Irene Hester Named Mountain West Conference Player of the Week
Honor is first of her career

FORT WORTH, Texas - TCU volleyball outside hitter Irene Hester has been named MWC Player of the Week for her performance last week. The honor is the first for the Horned Frogs this season and the first of Hester’s career.

Hester, a 6-0 senior from Fort Worth, Texas, was named Most Valuable Player after leading the Horned Frogs to the Rutgers Invitational tournament title in Piscataway, N.J.  Overall, TCU posted a 3-1 record last week, improving to 6-4 on the year.

She collected a double-double in three matches, starting with a 19-kill, 22-dig performance in a five-set loss to Baylor. Hester also had three total blocks and two service aces vs. the Bears.

In a tournament-opening sweep of Princeton, she registered five kills and seven digs. In a sweep of George Mason, Hester tallied 13 kills, 11 digs, seven aces, two blocks and two assists. Her seven aces vs. the Patriots are tied for the second-most in a single match in TCU program history. In the championship contest against Rutgers, Hester had 18 kills, 18 digs, three assists and three aces as the Horned Frogs clinched the tournament title with a five-set win.

For the week, Hester averaged 3.67 kills, 3.87 digs and 0.87 aces per set, while hitting .235. She also accounted for 4.73 points per set in 15 total sets.
 

LSU Volleyball Player Williams Takes Home SEC Player of the Week
 
BATON ROUGE – After earning Tiger Classic MVP accolades over the weekend, Michele Williams picked up SEC Offensive Player of the Week Monday as announced by the league office. It’s the third career weekly award for Williams from the SEC.
 
“We’re extremely proud of Michele,” head coach Fran Flory said. “She’s been a big part of our success during non-conference and it’s a direct reflection of her hard work during the offseason. Our goal on offense is to get her as many balls as possible when we can create opportunities for her.”
 
Williams buried 45 kills at a 3.75 per set ratio and connected for an impressive .405 hitting percentage as LSU defeated North Carolina, Rice and New Mexico State to improve to 9-0 for the first time since the 1991 season. Her .371 clip for the season ranks fifth, while her 1.00 blocks per set are 10th in the SEC.
 
Williams provided at least five kills in five of her 12 sets of action at the Tiger Classic and powered home a career-best 20 kills against Rice. The Magnolia, Texas, native also tacked on 16 kills during LSU’s thrilling five-set triumph over New Mexico State.
 
LSU heads into SEC play Friday with its annual "Gold Match" in addition to "Student Point Night" against Auburn. First serve is on-tap for 7 p.m. and fans following @lsuvolleyball on Twitter are eligible to win four tickets to the LSU football home opener against Mississippi State. The first 400 students also receive a "Gold Diggers" T-Shirt.
 
Live video and live stats are available in the Geaux Zone on LSUsports.net. Fans also can follow live in-match updates on the team's official blog at http://lsuvolleyball.posterous.com.
 
 

 Big 12 Honors Brooke Delano and Kayla Banwarth
 
Lincoln – The Nebraska volleyball team took two of the three weekly Big 12 honors on Monday, as junior Brooke Delano was name Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week and senior Kayla Banwarth was tabbed as the Defensive Player of the week.
 
The two Huskers were honored after Nebraska posted a perfect 3-0 record this weekend at the Ameritas Players Challenge, including wins over No. 20 Dayton and a thrilling five-set comeback win over No. 3 Illinois.
 
Delano shined for the Huskers all weekend, as she was named the tournament’s MVP. The Bellevue, Neb., native led Nebraska’s offensive attack in all three matches, hitting over .400 each match. For the tournament, she totaled 40 kills on 68 swings to hitting .529.
 
Delano’s biggest match came against the Fighting Illini, when she put away a career best 15 kills on 32 swings and also totaled eight blocks.
 
Banwarth continued to pilot the Husker defense as she was named the all-tournament libero, after being honored as the MVP of the BYU Nike Invitational a week ago.
 
Banwarth was the match-leader in digs in all three of her matches, as she accumulated 65 digs in 12 sets. Along with 22 digs against Illinois, she added two assists and chipped in an ace
 
Nebraska has now earned three Big 12 Player of the Week honors in 2010 after Lindsey Licht was honored in week one with the league’s offensive award.
 
The Huskers open Big 12 play on Wednesday in Ames, Iowa, at 7 p.m.

 

Ohio Valley Conference Players of the Week

2010 OVC Players of the Week - September 13
 
Offensive:
Holly Evans, RSH, Sr., 6'0
Blacklick, Ohio - Morehead State
 
Evans earned her second all-tournament team honor this year as she led the team with 3.75 kills per set while hitting .487 in three matches at the North Carolina State Tournament. She had 41 kills and just three errors in the tourney. For the week, Evans hit .421 with 60 kills and 11 blocks. In the win over Georgia Southern, she had a season-high 17 kills and no errors for a career-best .680 attack percentage. She also had 14 kills while hitting .400 in the win over Mercer.
 
Defensive:
Paige Economos, L, Jr., 5'7
Crystal Lake, Ill. - Austin Peay
 
Economos was named to the all-tournament team for the second consecutive week after leading the Lady Govs with 58 digs at the Buccaneer Classic. She recorded 24 digs in four sets against East Tennessee State and followed that up with 17 digs in the three-set sweep versus both UNC Asheville and UNC Greensboro.
 
Setter:
Sarah Alisaleh, S, Sr., 5'8
San Antonio, Texas  - Austin Peay
 
Alisaleh had four kills and 25 assists in three of the four sets against East Tennessee State. She played the remaining six sets of the Buccaneer Classic. Alisaleh recorded 43 assists and nine digs versus UNC Asheville and finished the tourney with 37 assists and 11 digs against UNC Greensboro. 

 Middle Tennessee Volleyball Player Izabela Kozon Named National Volleyball Player of the Week
 
Middle Tennessee's Izabela Kozon was named National Player of the Week by the Collegiate Volleyball Update (CVU.com), announced Tuesday for the week of Sept. 6 through Sept. 12.
 
Kozon is the first Blue Raider to earn CVU.com National Player of the Week honors and the fourth overall from the Sun Belt Conference.
 
The 6-0 outside hitter from Warsaw, Poland, is also the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week for the second consecutive week. Kozon has now earned the honor a school-record five times.
 
The senior led the Blue Raiders to an unblemished 4-0 record this weekend, sweeping previously unbeaten Kansas on Tuesday and winning the Middle Tennessee Invitational. Kozon was named the Tournament MVP for her performance at the MT Invitational, marking the third straight weekend that she has earned All-Tournament accolades.
 
Kozon also earned Player of the Week recognition from the American Volleyball Scouting Report, which recognizes international players currently plying their trade at American universities. It was the second time Kozon has earned the award, last taking home the award at the end of the 2009 season.
 
Kozon put up one of the best weeks of her career, tallying 64 kills, including 16 at Kansas and 18 in a sweep of defending America East conference champion Albany. For the week, she hit at a remarkable .372 clip and averaged 4.57 kills per set. For her career, Kozon is currently third all-time in kills with 1,392.
 
While her talents offensively are among the best in school history, Kozon has developed a reputation as a premier all-around player, and this season has been no different. She came up just two digs shy of reaching double-digit digs for the seventh consecutive match vs. Albany. Kozon is just 35 digs away from becoming the eighth Blue Raider in school history with 1,000 digs, and only the fourth to have also recorded at least 1,000 kills.
 
 
In addition to the Player of the Week, CVU.com will be announcing selections for the Top Performers from the past week. These selections will include the Player of the Week and up to 10 others. Choices will consist of players who were finalists for the weekly honor and others who had exceptional individual matches. The additional selections will be based on nominations and CVU.com staff criteria.
 
Top Performers
 
Kindra Carlson, Washington, Senior, Outside hitter, 6-1
Brooke Delano, Nebraska, Junior, Middle blocker, 6-4
Kristina Graven, Cal Poly, Freshman, Outside hitter, 6-0
Alex Kelly, Lipscomb, Senior, Middle blocker, 6-1
Izabela Kozon, Middle Tennessee State, Senior, Outside hitter, 6-0
Tarah Murrey, California, Junior, Outside hitter, 6-3
Taylor Root, Valparaiso, Sophomore, Libero, 5-7
Margaret Salata, North Carolina State, Junior, Middle blocker, 6-1
Kellie Sciacca, Notre Dame, Senior, Middle blocker, 6-1
Ashley Wittman, Minnesota, Freshman, Outside hitter, 6-0
Alana Wittenburg, Drake, Senior, Libero, 5-2

 

Paszkiewicz Honored by A-10 as Defensive Player of the Week
First Weekly Award for Senior Setter this Season

Senior Claire Paszkiewicz was named A-10 Defensive Player of the Week, the first weekly honor of her career
 

Sept. 14, 2010
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Xavier's Claire Paszkiewicz was honored by the Atlantic 10 Conference as the Volleyball Defensive Player of the week as announced by the league office today. This is the first weekly award this season for the senior setter from Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

George Washington's Lauren Whyte was named the A-10 Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week while Temple's Elyse Burkert was honored as Rookie of the Week.

Paszkiewicz was named the Butler Invitational Tournament Most Valuable Player following her performance over the weekend as XU went 3-0 and captured the event title. She posted two double-doubles -- a 46 assist/10 dig outing, including three assisted blocks, versus Army on Friday and a 47 assist/10 dig day, to go along with four assisted blocks, versus Butler in Saturday's finale.

In Saturday morning's contest vs. UNC Wilmington, Paszkiewicz hit .250 with 36 assists, seven digs, two blocks and a service ace. She completed the week with 129 assists - 10.75 per set - 27 digs and nine total blocks.

The Musketeers are traveling to Las Vegas this weekend to take part in the UNLV Classic. XU will face San Jose State, Cal State Northridge and host UNLV on Sept. 18-18 at UNLV's Cox Pavilion.

 

Dana Knudsen Named West Coast Conference Volleyball Player of the Week

Santa Clara sophomore middle blocker Dana Knudsen, a 6-3 native of Elk Grove, Calif., was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week on Monday.  She hit a combined .527 last weekend as the Broncos posted a 2-1 record at the Santa Clara Invitational.
Knudsen hit an impressive .600 (11-2-15) in the tournament-opening win against Portland State; and really shined in the final match against Cal State Bakersfield where she hit .688 with 11 kills on 16 swings with no errors.  For the weekend, she had 35 kills and just six hitting errors to go along with 10 blocks.
Knudsen is the second Bronco to receive WCC Player of the Week honor this season as sophomore Kaleigh Durket received the honor on Aug. 30.
"Dana is continuing to get better and better every day. She is a great talent and we are beginning to expect these types of performance every set, every match," said Bronco head coach Jon Wallace.
"It's an honor to be Player of the Week in this conference," said Knudsen.  "I hope next time we will be 3-0 on the weekend.  To ensure that, I am working to bring consistent play to every set. I need to focus and concentrate on the small things which will hopefully help us score each time I take a swing."
"Right now, the team is focusing on doing our individual jobs.  Those jobs aren't all physical play on the court, they are also mentally concentrating on the right things every point," said Knudsen.  "It's difficult, but when it all comes together it's really fun. Some moments this weekend were really rewarding because of all the hard work we've done in the last few months.  But, we have to face the fact that we didn't bring that to every play of every set; and we hope to fix that this weekend.  That goes for me too."
On a lighter note, Knudsen loves the team this year. "We are like family. We hang out together all time," said Knudsen.  "We are always together, at each other houses and just hanging out having fun off the court.  We have always been pretty close. A lot of teams don't have that.  If for some reason volleyball ended today, we would still hang out just as much as we do now.  In the last year we have really learned each other's buttons and habit; and everyone is accepted for who they are."
Santa Clara has another young squad with nine underclassmen. As a third-year sophomore, Knudsen red-shirted her true freshman year, what is she bringing to the team as young leader herself.
 "I am trying to lead by action, I am not always that graceful with words," said Knudsen with smile.  "I hope by bringing my best every day, I can lead through my play and my discipline and effort, and the rest will follow."
Wallace also talked last week about the special relationship Knudsen and junior middle blocker Tanya Schmidt have created.  Knudsen agreed with a big smile.  "It's like opposites attract.  We are two complete separate halves and we fill in each other's gaps," said Knudsen. "There really is a special connection with us. When we feel weak we look to each other for strength.  I see Tanya as someone graceful, optimistic and caring; and she looks at me and feels spice and power and it makes her feel strong. We call each other 'Sugar and Spice'."
Finally, Knudsen reflected on her goals for the season.  "Clearly I am very focused on my team's goals. I want our team to win, improve, but win," said Knudsen.  "We really need to make sure we bring the 'A' game every single day. I know that's a cliché, but we are on our way. There are flashes of greatness, but that consistency isn't there yet. We need to bring that every play, every time we touch the ball."
"I have high hopes for the weekend and I feel like a number of things are coming together. It's time," added Knudsen with a twinkle in her eye.
Also Nominated for WCC Player of the Week: Lilla Frederick (Pepperdine), Gabby Jolly (Saint Mary's), Amy Mahinalani DeGroot (San Diego), Jasmine Rankins (Loyola Marymount)
 

WESTERN KENTUCKY TOPS UCA IN WKU VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT FINALE

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WESTERN KENTUCKY TOPS UCA IN WKU VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT FINALE

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The University of Central Arkansas volleyball team wrapped up the WKU Tournament with a three set loss to host Western Kentucky at E.A. Diddle Arena on Saturday night. The Lady Toppers (8-3) downed the Sugar Bears (6-6) 25-15, 25-20, 25-22.

WKU dominated the first set by hitting .419 with 15 kills, compared to a .065 percentage and nine kills for the Sugar Bears. Junior outside hitter Jessica Hays recorded five kills and two aces in the frame for UCA.

UCA improved by hitting .296 with 12 kills and only four errors in set two, but WKU continued their torrid pace with 17 kills and a .412 hitting percentage.

Down 21-18 in the third set, Hays and freshman Jessica Nagy combined for back-to-back blocks and senior Chloe Smith blasted a kill to tie the game 21-21. The Lady Toppers responded with three straight kills to push the lead to 24-21. Hays came up with a kill to cut the lead to two, but the match ended with a UCA service error.

Hays led the Sugar Bears with 12 kills, three aces and four blocks to go with seven digs. Junior libero Cristin Curl had 10 digs and Smith had five kills and four blocks.

Jordyn Skinner led WKU with 11 kills and Sarah Rogers had 16 digs. Melanie Stutsman recorded 37 assists.

For the match, the Lady Toppers hit .311 with 48 kills, while the Sugar Bears had 29 kills and hit .137. UCA outblocked WKU 8-5.

Nagy, a middle blocker from Carleton, Mich., was named to the all-tournament team.

UCA will make their home debut on Thursday night when they host Northwestern State to kick off the Sugar Bear Classic.

   Central Arkansas vs Western Kentucky (Sep 11, 2010 at Bowling Green, Ky.)

  Western Kentucky def. Central Arkansas 25-15,25-20,25-22

  Central Arkansas (6-6) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Hays, Jessica 12-3-4;
  Smith, Chloe 5-0-4; Nagy, Jessica 4-0-3; Hammonds, Taylor 4-0-3;
  Collins, Marissa 3-0-0; Giesler, Karlie 1-0-0; Curl, Cristin 0-1-0;
  Totals 29-4-8.0. (Assists) - Collins, Marissa 22. (Dig leaders) -
  Curl, Cristin 10; Hays, Jessica 7

  Western Kentucky (8-3) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Skinner, Jordyn 11-0-0;
  Teegarden, Emily 10-0-1; Elmore, Tiffany 9-0-3; Wessel, Paige 7-1-2;
  Williams, Lindsay 6-1-1; Stutsman, Melanie 5-0-1; Rogers, Sarah 0-2-0;
  Totals 48-4-5.0. (Assists) - Stutsman, Melanie 37. (Dig leaders) -
  Rogers, Sarah 16; Skinner, Jordyn 8

  Site: Bowling Green, Ky. (E.A. Diddle Arena)
  Date: Sep 11, 2010   Attend: 430   Time: 1:18   
  Referees: Ed Thornburgh, Donnie Goodwin

Long Beach State 49ers Volleyball Team Improves to 6-2 after 3-0 win over Virginia

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Long Beach State 49ers Volleyball Team Improves to 6-2 after 3-0 win over Virginia

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Sophomore Janisa Johnson turned in her fifth double-double of the season, making 16 kills and 10 digs to lead The Beach past Virginia 26-24, 25-16, 25-18 in the final game of the Mizuno Invitational.
In her return to the starting lineup, Ashley Vazquez handed out 39 assists as the 49ers turned a first-set scare into a convincing three-set victory. Defense led the way for the 49ers, as Caitlin Ledoux led the team with 15 digs while Lauren Minkel had 14, giving LBSU three players with double-digit digs along with Johnson’s 10. Those numbers helped the 49ers hold San Diego to .083 hitting on the night, combined with 10 blocks.
The 49ers took an early 4-2 lead in set one on a pair of hitting errors by Virginia. The Cavaliers trimmed the lead to one at 8-9 before the 49ers took five of the next six points while playing solid defense.  Virginia slowly battled back, and cut the lead to one several times before finally tying it at 22.
With the score knotted at 24, Johnson scored on a nice swing down the line, then teamed up with Haleigh Hampton for a stuff block to close out the first set.
Johnson picked up set two where she left off in set one, tallying kills on two of the 49ers first three points. Long Beach State appeared more in synch in set two as they reduced their attacking and service errors and maintained a healthy lead throughout most of the set. Improved blocking by the 49ers proved to be the difference down the stretch as they scored five of their final nine points on blocks and held the Cavaliers to a mere .049 hitting percentage.
Building on their momentum from set two, Long Beach State coasted through the third set, looking confident and swinging their way to a .355 hitting percentage in a smooth 25-18 victory. Besides a six-point run by the Cavaliers that cut the 49er lead to two at 19-17, Long Beach maintained control the entire set. The balanced 49er attack was led by Johnson’s 16 kills and featured efficient performances from middle blockers Hampton and Michelle Osunbor, who hit .412 and .571 for the match respectively.
The 3-0 win for the 49ers is the team’s last home match for two weeks. Next up for the 49ers is a road trip to Colorado, where LBSU will face four teams, including No. 15 Colorado State. The next home match for the 49ers will be at the Walter Pyramid on Saturday, September 25, at 7 p.m. for their conference opener against the Titans of Cal State Fullerton.

Auburn Volleyball Team Defeats College Of Charleston But Falls To Cincinnati; Wins C Of C Classic

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Auburn Volleyball Team Defeats College Of Charleston But Falls To Cincinnati; Wins C Of C Classic

CHARLESTON, S.C.  – The Auburn volleyball team opened the last day of the C of C Classic with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-10, 25-19) win over College of Charleston, but fell to Cincinnati, 3-1 (25-22, 18-25, 21-25, 25-19), Saturday on the campus of College of Charleston. Despite the final loss, the Tigers captured the tournament title and now stand at 9-3 on the season.
 
“It was a very good tournament and winning the whole thing is a great achievement for our team,” head coach Wade Benson said. “Having back-to-back matches today was tough, but Cincinnati played very well and earned the win. We saw things that we need to work on which will be beneficial for the start of SEC competition next weekend.”
 
Seniors Liz Crouch and Morgan Johns and freshman Camila Jersonsky were named to the all-tournament team, while Crouch was named the Most Valuable Player of the weekend.
 
Against College of Charleston: Win 3-0
The Tigers’ victory over College of Charleston at the start of Saturday’s competition marked the first time since 1998 that Auburn has opened the season with a 9-2 overall record.
 
Sophomore Sarah Bullock recorded her second-consecutive double-double, finishing with 13 kills and 10 digs on the day. Senior Morgan Johns also tallied 13 kills and had a career-best six blocks. Freshman Camila Jersonsky was perfect at the net, tallying eight kills on eight attempts and having four blocks.
 
Senior libero Liz Crouch had a match-high 18 digs for the Tigers and classmate Jonelle Wallace finished with seven kills.
 
The Cougars (7-3) were led by Elyse Chubb, who finished with seven kills on the day. Libero Paige Johnson had 17 digs, while setter Cole Dawley had 20 assists.
 
The Tigers started the first set strong as kills from Wallace, Johns and Jersonsky put Auburn up early at 6-2. A pair of kills by Johns and a service ace from Crouch pushed another Tiger run, giving Auburn an 11-5 advantage. The Tigers continued to drive ahead and utilized a 7-2 final run, highlighted by five kills from Bullock, to win the set 25-13.
 
A kill from Culwell and a service ace by Lauren Mellor put Auburn ahead at 4-2 in the second set and a pair of Cougar attack errors made the score 7-4 in favor of the Tigers. Auburn followed with a 7-0 run, triggered by a kill from Jersonsky, to push ahead to 14-5. A final Tiger rally gave Auburn the 25-10 second-set win.
 
The two teams battled early in the third set, but tied at six apiece, a pair of kills by Johns and one from Jersonsky pushed Auburn ahead at 8-6. Another kill by Jersonsky began a long, seven-point Auburn rally to go up at 22-13 and a pair of kills by Bullock gave the Tigers 25-19 victory.
 
Against Cincinnati: Loss 3-1
Senior Morgan Johns lead the Tigers against Cincinnati with 15 kills, while sophomore Katherine Culwell recorded her first double-double of the season with 10 kills and career-best 18 digs. Senior libero Liz Crouch had 18 digs on the night, while freshman Camila Jersonsky had three blocks.
 
Cincinnati’s Stephanie Niemer finished with 30 kills and 13 digs for the Bearcats, while Jordanne Scott added 12 kills. Libero Emily MacIntyre had 17 digs and setter Annie Fesl tallied 50 assists.
 
A pair of Bearcat attack errors and two kills by Johns led to a 5-1 lead for Auburn to start the first set. A Bullock kill and a service ace by Mellor put the Tigers up 11-6, but Cincinnati fought late to take its first lead at 18-17. A three-point Auburn rally, highlighted by two service aces by Mellor, gave the Tigers the 20-18 advantage and Auburn battled to take the 25-22 win.
 
Cincinnati opened the second set on a 4-2 run, but a pair of Auburn kills and Bearcat attack errors gave the Tigers their first lead at 6-4. Cincinnati, however, utilized a four-point rally to go up 14-13.The Bearcats continued to push and finished the set with a 25-18 win.
 
The two squads fought in the first part of the third set and, with the score locked at six, a pair of kills by Johns led to a four-point Tiger run to give Auburn a 10-6 advantage. The Bearcats put up a major run of their own and regained the lead at 13-11. Auburn kept competition close, but a final Cincinnati rally led to a 25-21 Bearcat win.
 
Auburn and Cincinnati battled through the early goings of the fourth and final set until, tied at five apiece, the Bearcats used a 5-1 rally to go up 9-6. The Tigers came within two points at 11-9 and then within three points at 16-13, but couldn’t break through as the Bearcats finished the match with a 25-19 victory.
 
The Tigers begin Southeastern Conference competition on the road as Auburn travels to SEC West foes LSU and Arkansas next weekend. Auburn takes on the 21st-ranked and defending SEC champion LSU Friday, Sept. 17, in Baton Rouge in a 7 p.m. match. The Tigers then travel to Fayetteville, Ark., for a 1:30p.m. match against the Razorbacks on Sunday, Sept. 19.

Ball State Women’s Volleyball Team Suffers 3-1 Setback At Wright State

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Ball State Women’s Volleyball Team Suffers 3-1 Setback At Wright State

 

 DAYTON, Ohio - - The Ball State (7-1) women’s volleyball team saw its seven-match winning streak come to an end Saturday afternoon with a 3-1 (25-16, 23-25, 25-23, 25-20) setback at Wright State’s (4-6) C.J. McLin Gymnasium.

  Freshman outside hitter Whitney Heeres ( Flushing, Mich./Flushing Senior H.S.) paced the Ball State attack with 16 kills while hitting for a team-best .300 (16-4-40) rate of success.

  Junior middle blocker Kelsey Brandl (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North H.S) added 13 kills, while leading the Cardinals with four total blocks (one solo and three assists).

  Junior setter Brittany McGinnis (Fraser, Mich./Fraser H.S.) added her second double-double of the season with 41 assists and 14 digs, while smashing seven kills and adding three block assists.

  In the backcourt, senior libero Alyssa Rio (Wayne, Ill./St. Francis H.S.) paced all players with 28 digs, while Hannah Sullivan (New Albany, Ind./New Albany H.S.) added 10.

  The Raiders limited the Cardinals to a season-low .180 (60-27-183) attack percentage in the contest, while hitting for a .233 (55-18-159) rate of success on offense.

  Heidi Splinter paced three Raiders in double-figure kills with a match-best 17. Shaunda Sandifer added 14 markers, while Jessica Woods tallied 10. Woods also led Wright State with 26 digs.

  A pair of kills from Heeres helped Ball State pull out to a 3-1 lead in the opening frame. The Raiders answered with a 3-1 run of their own, tying the set at four. WSU continued to carry the momentum from there, as two kills from Sandifer helped give the hosts an 11-6 advantage.

  Ball State would cut the gap to three, at 13-10, thanks in part to another Heeres kill and a block from McGinnis and Brandl. Unfortunately, the Raiders would score 12 of the final 18 points to win the frame 25-16, handing BSU its first set loss of the season.

  The second set was a back-and-fourth battle early, as the teams played to an 8-8 stalemate. A Brandl kill surrounded by a pair of WSU attack errors, helped the Cardinals pull ahead by three at 11-8. BSU extended its lead to four points, at 15-11, on a solo block from Kylee Baker (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North H.S.), only to have the hosts rally back and tie the score at 17.

  Wright State would capitalize on a pair of BSU errors, claiming a brief 19-17 edge. However, a kill from Baker and back-to-back WSU errors helped BSU recapture the lead at 20-19. After a Wright State timeout, Heeres gave the Cardinals a 21-19 edge with another kill.

  While the Raiders tied the score over the next two plays, a McGinnis setter dump and a service ace from Rio moved the score to 23-21. A WSU service error gave BSU set point, at 24-22, while an overpass kill from Jennifer Boyd (Evans City, Pa./Seneca Valley) ended the game at 25-23 in favor of the Cardinals.

  Three kills from Splinter and two from Sandifer helped Wright State charge out to a 9-4 lead in the third game. Led by three kills from Heeres, the Cardinals battled back to tie the score at 11, only to have WSU answer with the next three points.

  With the Cardinals trailing 14-11, three kills from Boyd helped BSU rally back and tie the score at 16. From there, the teams battled to a 23-23 tie before a kill and ace from Splinter ended the game at 25-23 in favor of the hosts.

  Kills from Heeres and Boyd gave BSU the first two points of the fourth set, but WSU rattled off the next six points forcing an early timeout from the guests. With the Cardinals trailing 12-6, three kills from McGinnis, as well as a kill and solo block from Heeres, helped BSU battle back within two at 13-11.

  Unfortunately, four straight Raider points extended the lead back to six at 17-11. Ball State was able to battle back within two at 20-18 after a Baker kill, but Wright State scored five of the final seven points to win the frame 25-20. Splinter combined with former Ball State player Ashley Heyman for the match-winning block assist.

  The Ball State women’s volleyball team returns to action Tuesday, when it travels up I-69 for a 7 p.m. showdown with IPFW.

Pride Fall To Presbyterian at CEFCU Classic; Maneja Named All-Tournament

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Pride Fall To Presbyterian at CEFCU Classic; Maneja Named All-Tournament

 

Peoria, IL - Lisa Shelley had 13 kills to lead three Blue Hose players in double-figures as Presbyterian posted a 3-0 victory over the Pride at the CEFCU Classic Saturday evening. Hofstra sophomore libero Kylee Maneja posted a match-high 14 digs and was named to the all-tournament team.

Hofstra falls to 3-8 with the loss, while Presbyterian evens its record at 4-4.

Presbyterian posted a 25-19 victory in set one, using a 5-0 run at the end of the set to put away the Pride. Shelley recorded two straight aces to end the set. The set was back and forth in the early going with six tie scores and four lead changes.

In set two, Presbyterian went up 11-5 and then reeled off nine of the next 14 points to take a 20-10 lead. The Pride then scored five of the next six points to cut the deficit to 21-15. But the Blue Hose staved off the comeback attempt and held on for a 25-20 win.

The third set saw Presbyterian jump out to a 5-1 lead. Hofstra fought back and cut the deficit to one on three occasions, the last at 12-11 on a kill by freshman outside hitter Shelby Young. Later in the set Hofstra trailed by two, 21-19. But a Blue Hose kill and an attack error by the Pride gave Presbyterian a 23-19 lead and Shelley had kills on the final two points to give the Blue Hose the 25-21 win.

Red-shirt freshman outside hitter Nikki Kinnier and graduate student outside hitter Marina Markovic led the Pride with eight kills each, while Young and sophomore middle blocker Carolyn Jenkins each added seven kills. Senior setter Rachel August dealt 31 assists. Amanda Kettles had 12 kills for Presbyterian, while Presley Mabrey added 11. Kilee Ruppe had a match-high 36 assists.

The Pride return to action Tuesday, September 14 when they host Seton Hall. Match time at the Physical Education Building is 7 p.m.